Editorial Ta Nea: Relief

The expression “polar region temperatures” that has become a catchphrase in the media may sound exaggerated – and it may be for those who are only slightly exposed to the cold or enjoy the warmth at home and at work.

It is no exaggeration at all when it comes to those that are exposed to the cold – the homeless and the financially vulnerable who do not have the means to secure heatt, and of course the many refugees and migrants who are being tried at the Moria refugee camp in Lesvos and elsewhere.

No one, and especially the competent authorities, should forget the people who are being confronted constantly by a heavy winter.

Thousands of people are living in tents where the only means of heating are air heaters. At Moria, those were distributed just yesterday by those in charge of the refugee camp.

Meanwhile, dozens of our fellow citizens are seeking refuge from the cold in the centre of Athens, not knowing perhaps that there are facilities operarating in order to offer relief at this difficult juncture.

There must be an immediate mobilisation and information campaign to protect all of these people.

It would be extremely sad if the cold were to claim even one life inour country.

Refugees, the homeless, and the poor are vulnerable groups that are entitled to the greatest possible protection from a state that has self-respect and which does not peddle social sensitivity, from a state which provides essential relief to those in need.